Methods and systems for determining authenticity of a consumable product

ABSTRACT

Methods and systems are described to determine authenticity of a consumable product. The determining of authenticity may include communicating with a listing engine that contains a list of identifiers for consumable products classified as non-authentic, installing a consumable product in the host device where the consumable product stores an identifier in memory, and determining whether the consumable product matches one of the identifiers.

BACKGROUND

Authentication is a process of proving or verifying that certaininformation is genuine. Authentication processes can use differentmechanisms to ensure that the information is genuine. For example, auser identification code and a password may be used to verify that anauthor is who the author says he is when logging into a website topublish an online article.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The accompanying drawings illustrate various examples of the principlesdescribed herein and are a part of the specification. The illustratedexamples are merely examples and do not limit the scope of the claims.

FIG. 1A is a diagram of an example of a consumable product and a deviceaccording to the principles described herein.

FIG. 1B is a diagram of an example of a list of non-authenticatedconsumable products according to the principles described herein.

FIG. 2 is a flowchart of an example of a process of a method ofdetermining authenticity of a consumable product according to theprinciples described herein.

FIG. 3A is a diagram of an example of a method of determiningauthenticity of a consumable product according to the principlesdescribed herein.

FIG. 3B is a diagram of an example of a method of determiningauthenticity of a consumable product according to the principlesdescribed herein.

FIG. 4 is a diagram of an example of a determining system according tothe principles described herein.

FIG. 5 is a diagram of an example of a determining system according tothe principles described herein.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The principles described herein include a method of determiningauthenticity of a consumable product, such as a print cartridge. Such anexample includes communicating with a listing engine that contains alist of identifiers for a consumable product classified as non-authenticwhere the host device has a mechanism to secure the consumable product.In some examples, if the consumable product is not genuine, the methodincludes preventing the usage of the non-authenticated consumableproduct. In other examples, the non-authenticated consumable product maybe allowed to be used with the host device.

Print cartridges can be authenticated upon installation into the printerso that for example a warranty eligibility of the print cartridge can bedetermined. In an example, third party print cartridges may not fallunder warranties offered by an original printer company.

In the following description, for purposes of explanation, numerousspecific details are set forth in order to provide a thoroughunderstanding of the present systems and methods. It will be apparent,however, to one skilled in the art that the present apparatus, systems,and methods may be practiced without these specific details. Referencein the specification to “an example” or similar language means that aparticular feature, structure, or characteristic described is includedin at least that one example, but not necessarily in other examples.

FIG. 1A is a diagram of an example of a consumable product and a deviceaccording to the principles described herein. In this example, theconsumable product is a print cartridge (100) and the device is aprinter (102). The print cartridge (100) may provide any appropriatesupply to the printer including ink, dry toner, wet toner, fluids, othermaterials, or combinations thereof. While this example is described withreference to the consumable product specifically being a printcartridge, any appropriate consumable product may be used. For example,the consumable product may be an oil filter, an air filter, another typeof filter, a print cartridge, an erosion prone component of a machine,another type of component, or combinations thereof. Further, while thisexample is described with reference to specific types of devices, anyappropriate type of device may be used in accordance with the principlesdescribed herein. For example, the device (102) may be a two dimensionalprinter, a three dimensional printer, an automobile, a vehicle, a plane,a boat, construction equipment, machines, other types of devices, orcombinations thereof.

In the example of FIG. 1A, the print cartridge (100) contains a digitalsignature (104) that is contained in memory (106). The digital signature(104) signs data stored on the cartridge, such signed data contains aunique identifier (108) for that print cartridge (100). In response tobeing inserted into the appropriate receptacle in the printer (102), theprinter (102) and the print cartridge (100) are positioned such tocommunicate with one another. For example, the printer's receptacle mayinclude electrical contacts that are positioned to abut electricalcontacts of the print cartridge (100), which completes an electricallyconductive pathway on which the printer (102) and the print cartridge(100) can exchange data. In other examples, the receptacle is positionedsuch that the print cartridge (100) can wirelessly communicate with theprinter (102). In response to being able to communicate, anauthentication session between the printer (102) and the print cartridge(100) is initiated. The print cartridge (100) may request authenticationto initiate the authentication session. However, in other examples, theprinter (102) initiates the authentication session.

The printer may use a public key (109), a symmetric key, anothermechanism, or combinations thereof to interpret the digital signature(104). If the digital signature (104) does not appear to be genuine, theprinter (102) will deny authentication. However, if the digitalsignature (104) appears to be genuine, the printer (102) will use anadditional layer of scrutiny to ensure that the digital signature wasnot copied.

The additional layer of scrutiny may include referencing anon-authenticated identifiers list (112) that is associated with printcartridges that failed authentication requests or are otherwiseclassified as non-authentic. The non-authenticated identifiers list(112) may be downloaded to the printer (102) from a listing engine (114)over a network (116), such as the internet. The listing engine (114) maycontain a non-authenticated identifier list (110) that includesnon-authentic identifiers supplied from the printer (102) and/or otherprinters. The print cartridges associated with the non-authenticatedidentifiers list (112) may have been denied authentication when theyrequested authentication with the printer (102) currently in anauthentication session with the print cartridge or other printers atdifferent locations. In some examples, each time a print cartridge failsauthentication, the printer (102) sends the identifier associated withthe non-authenticated print cartridge to a common location, such as acloud based web service.

In other examples, the non-authenticated identifiers may be added to thelist if they were detected to be installed in too many printers. In suchan example, the printers track both the authenticated identifiers andthe non-authenticated identifiers. The listing engine (114) can analyzethe authenticated identifiers, and if the occurrence of a particularauthenticated identifier exceeds a predetermined threshold, the listingengine (114) may add that particular identifier to the listing engine'slist.

In other examples, the non-authenticated identifiers are added to thelist manually. The number of printers in which a print cartridge hasbeen installed may be tracked via the identifier. If this number exceedsa predetermined threshold, this suggests that the identifier has beencopied and the identifier may then be added to the listing engine list(110). In other examples, the common location collects thenon-authenticated identifiers (112) from the multiple reporting printersto create the listing engine list (110) that reflects the activity ofmultiple printers.

The non-authenticated print cartridges may be denied authentication forany appropriate reason. For example, if the digital signature found inthe print cartridge's memory fails to match what the printer expected,the printer (102) will deny authentication and send the printcartridge's identifier to the common location. In other examples, theprinter can deny authentication if the identifier appears to becorrupted. In yet other examples, the printer can deny authentication ifthe identifier appears to have been used by multiple printers becausethat would suggest that at least one of the print cartridges was anunauthorized copy. While this example has been described with referenceto specific reasons that a printer may deny authentication to a printcartridge, any appropriate reason for denying authentication may be usedin accordance with the principles described herein.

A communicator (118) of the printer (102) may communicate with thelisting engine (114) when internet connectivity exists. To ensure thatthe printer (102) has access to the listing engine non-authenticatedidentifier list (110) when internet connectivity is down, the printer(102) may download the identifiers from the listing enginenon-authenticated identifier list (110). However, in examples where thelisting engine non-authenticated identifier list (110) exceeds theamount of memory available in the printer (102), the printer (102) maydownload just a portion of the listing engine non-authenticatedidentifier list (110). When the printer downloads (a portion of) thenon-authenticated identifier list (110), it adds this to its localprinter non-authenticated identifiers list (112).

The listing engine non-authenticated identifier list (110) may beorganized in a manner that allows the printer (102) to download arelevant portion of the listing engine list (110). For example, thelisting engine list (110) may be sorted by geography. In such a manner,the printer (102) may download the portion of the listing engine list(110) within the geography that the printer (102) is in. In this manner,the printer (102) avoids downloading non-authenticated print cartridgesthat are denied authentication in a different region of the world thanwhere the printer (102) is located. In other examples, the listingengine list (110) is sorted chronologically. In such an example, theidentifiers of the most recently non-authenticated print cartridges maybe listed first so that the printer (102) can download those identifiersthat reflect the identifiers that are currently being deniedauthentication. In yet another example, the listing engine list (110)may be sorted by the frequency that the failed authentication hasoccurred. In this example, the printer (102) can download theidentifiers that were most commonly denied authentication. A listingengine list (110) organized by frequency of failed authentication mayprovide valuable protection against using a non-authenticated printcartridge because a third party may try to just duplicate a few printcartridges many times instead of trying to duplicate many printcartridges many times.

The printer (102) may download all or just a portion of the identifiersin the listing engine list (110) on a periodic basis. In other examples,the printer (102) downloads the non-authentic identifiers as instructedby a user or by the listing engine (114). In some examples, the printer(102) actively retrieves information from the listing engine list (110).However, in other examples, the printer (102) passively receivesinformation from the listing engine list (110). Downloading theidentifiers from the listing engine list (110) may include downloadingthe entire list or just downloading updates to the list (110).

The principles described herein include the advantages of authenticatingthe print cartridge at the time when the print cartridge is installedinto the printer. As a result, internet connectivity does not have to beestablished at the time that the print cartridge is installed. Thus, theprinter can use the print cartridge with confidence of its authenticityimmediately without having to rely on an active internet connection tobegin the authentication process. In other examples where the printerwill not allow for use of a print cartridge until authentication iscompleted, authentication performed locally at the printer allows theprint cartridge to be used shortly after installation when there is nointernet connectivity because the authentication process does not relyon the internet connection at the time of installation.

In some examples, the printer begins the authentication session by firstattempting to authenticate the hardware of the print cartridge. Ifauthentication of the hardware is successful, the printer continues toauthenticate the digital signature stored in the print cartridge. Thus,the authentication of the digital signature is a second layer ofprotection to determine if the print cartridges are genuine. If both thedigital signature and the hardware appear to be genuine, the printerthen implements the comparison between the identifier in the signed datawith the identifiers from the printer non-authenticated identifiers list(112). Thus, the comparison acts as a third or an additional layer ofprotection. While this example has been described with reference tospecific layers that verify whether a consumable product is genuine, anyappropriate number of layers may be implemented in accordance with theprinciples described herein. Any appropriate layer to determineauthenticity may be implemented in any appropriate order. Further,additional types of layers not described in this specification may alsobe implemented as other layers, which may be inserted into theauthentication process in any appropriate sequence.

In some examples, the printer (102) is in communication with a remotedevice, such as a remote server (117). The remote server may beconnected over a public network, like the Internet, or over a privatenetwork. The remote device may have memory (119) that stores at least aportion of the non-authenticated print cartridge list, the public key,an authentication engine, or combinations thereof. In some examples, thecomputer readable instructions and hardware for authenticating the printcartridge (100) are distributed across the printer (102), the remotedevice, another device connected to the remote device or printer (102),or combinations thereof.

FIG. 1B is a diagram of an example of a list (120) of non-authenticatedconsumable products in a listing engine according to the principlesdescribed herein. In this example, the list (120) includes multiplecolumns and multiple rows. Each column represents an attribute of theconsumable product. A first column (122) represents the identifierassociated with the non-authenticated consumable product. The secondcolumn (124) represents a geographic region where the consumable productfailed authentication. The third column (126) represents the number oftimes that a consumable product associated with the identifier hasfailed authentication. The fourth column (128) represents whether theconsumable product has a specific attribute. The rows each represent asingle consumable product. For example, the first row (132) represents aconsumable product that has an identifier of 10001 that failedauthentication in China, that has failed authentication twenty threetimes and that contains the specific attribute.

The list (120) may be sorted in any appropriate manner. For example, thelist may be sorted by identifier, geographic region, frequency ofauthentication failure, attributes of the consumable product, anotherattribute, or combinations thereof. In this manner, the list (120) maybe organized in an order that is useful for a device to determine whenthere is a match between the consumable product's identifier and theidentifiers on the list (120), especially when there is limited space inthe device's memory.

In other examples, the identifiers associated with frequency of failedauthentication or geographic regions are prioritized in the list suchthat the devices with similar properties can download portions of thelist that are relevant to them. For example, a device located in Chinamay not find an identifier associated with consumable products that arefailing authentication in Finland to be very relevant. Likewise, anidentifier that is frequently failing authentication may represent anidentifier that has been replicated multiple times and is therefore morelikely to be installed in another device. Thus, identifiers with ahigher frequency of occurred failure may be more relevant thanidentifiers associated with just a single or a few failedauthentications.

As part of the device's agreement with the listing engine, the devicemay provide the listing engine with preferences for how to organize thelist (120) for the device. For example, the device may indicate itslocation and other attributes that may assist the listing engine indetermining an appropriate list arrangement that is particular to thedevice. In other examples, the listing engine organizes the list in anorder that is likely to assist a wide group of the devices, such as byfrequency of occurred failure. In other examples, the listing enginefollows an ordering policy that has multiple rules for how to organizethe list based on various factors. While this example has been describedwith reference to specific types of attributes to include in the list,any appropriate type of attribute may be included in the list inaccordance with the principles described herein. Further, while thisexample has been described with reference to specific mechanisms fororganizing the list, any appropriate mechanism for organizing the listmay be used in accordance with the principles described herein.

FIG. 2 is a flowchart (200) of an example of a process for determiningauthenticity of a consumable product according to the principlesdescribed herein. In this example, the process includes recognizing(202) that a consumable product is installed within a host device,initiating (204) an authentication session with the consumable product,and verifying (206) a digital signature stored in the consumableproduct's memory.

The process also includes determining (208) whether the digitalsignature appears genuine. If the digital signature does not appeargenuine, authentication is denied (210). On the other hand, if thedigital signature appears genuine, the process continues withdetermining (212) whether the identifier in the signed data matches anidentifier in the host device's non-authenticated identifiers list. Ifthe identifier in the signed data fails to match any of the identifiersrecorded in the host device's non-authenticated identifiers list, theconsumable product is authenticated (214). However, if the identifier inthe signed data matches one of the identifiers recorded in the hostdevice's non-authenticated identifiers list, authentication is denied(210).

FIG. 3A is a diagram of an example of a method (300) for determiningauthenticity of a consumable product according to the principlesdescribed herein. In this example, the method (300) includescommunicating (302) with a listing engine that contains a list ofidentifiers for a consumable product that failed authentication,installing (304) the consumable product in the host device where theconsumable product stores an identifier in memory, and determining (306)whether the consumable product matches one of the identifiers. In someexamples if the consumable product matches one of the identifiers, thenon-authenticated consumable product is prevented from being used by thehost device. In other examples, the non-authenticated consumable productis permitted to be used by the host device.

FIG. 3B is a diagram of an example of a method (310) for determiningauthenticity of a consumable product according to the principlesdescribed herein. In this example, the method (310) includescommunicating (312) with a listing engine that contains a list ofidentifiers for a consumable product that failed authentication wherethe device has a mechanism to secure the consumable product, receiving(314) the consumable product in the receptacle, initiating (316) theauthentication session with the consumable product, and denying (318) anauthentication request from the consumable product during theauthentication session based on an identifier of the consumable productbeing included in the list.

In some examples, the device recognizes that the consumable product incommunication with the device is inserted into the receptacle. As theconsumable product is being inserted into the receptacle, the consumableproduct may establish communication with the device. Based on anauthentication protocol, the authentication session may be initiated inresponse to the establishment of communication. While this example hasbeen described with reference to a specific mechanism for connecting theconsumable product to the device, any appropriate mechanism for securingthe consumable product to the device may be used in accordance with theprinciples described herein. For example, the consumable device may beinstalled in the device through a thread interface, insertion into areceptacle, another attachment mechanism, or combinations thereof.

FIG. 4 is a diagram of an example of a determining system (400)according to the principles described herein. The determining system(400) can be a component of any appropriate device. For example, theauthentication system (400) may be incorporated into a printer, distantdevice, a service, a network device, a computing device, smart phone, atablet, a personal computer, a desktop, a laptop, a watch, a digitaldevice, or combinations. The determining system (400) includes a storingengine (401), a recognizing engine (402), and a communicating engine(404). In this example, the determining system (400) includes anauthentication engine (406), a denying engine (408), a downloadingengine (410), and a prevention engine (412). The engines (401, 402, 404,406, 408, 410, 412) refer to a combination of hardware and programinstructions to perform a designated function. Each of the engines (401,402, 404, 406, 408, 410, 412) may include a processor and memory. Theprogram instructions are stored in the memory and cause the processor toexecute the designated function of the engine.

The storing engine (401) stores an identifier in a memory of theconsumable product that is unique to the consumable product. Therecognizing engine (402) recognizes that the consumable product is incommunication with the device and that the consumable product should besubjected to an authentication process. The authentication engine (406)initiates the authentication session between the consumable product andthe device. If the digital signature contained in the memory of theconsumable product appears to be genuine, then the authentication engine(406) continues to determine the consumable product's authenticity bycomparing the identifier associated with the consumable product with theidentifiers in a non-authenticated identifiers list. The communicatingengine (404) enrolls the device in an agreement with a remote listingengine that gives the device access to the list. The downloading engine(410) downloads the list from a remote location maintained by thelisting engine to ensure that the list is available when internetconnectivity is down. The storing engine (401) further stores the listof non-authenticated identifiers.

Further, the authentication process is quicker when the list is locallystored versus remotely consulting the list each time that the consumabledevice is seeking authentication. If the digital signature does notappear to be genuine or the consumable product's identifier matches oneof the non-authenticated identifiers from the list, the denying engine(408) denies authentication to the consumable product. The preventionengine (412) is used to prevent the usage of the consumable product ifauthentication is denied.

While this example has been described as first determining whether adigital signature appears to be genuine, in some examples, theconsumable product does not include a digital signature. In suchexamples, the identifier may be stored in the consumable product'smemory, be stored with another mechanism other than with a digitalsignature, or combinations thereof. The authentication process may relysolely on comparing the identifier to the list of non-authenticatedidentifiers. In other examples, the authentication process includesother tasks performed during the authentication process of whichcomparing the consumable product's identifier to the list is one of thetasks.

FIG. 5 is a diagram of an example of a determining system (500)according to the principles described herein. The authentication system(500) can be a component of any appropriate device. For example, theauthentication system (500) may be incorporated into a printer, distantdevice, a service, a network device, a computing device, smart phone, atablet, a personal computer, a desktop, a laptop, a watch, a digitaldevice, or combinations. In this example, the determining system (500)includes processing resources (502) that are in communication withmemory resources (504). Processing resources (502) include at least oneprocessor and other resources used to process programmed instructions.The memory resources (504) represent generally any memory capable ofstoring data such as programmed instructions or data structures used bythe determining system (500). The programmed instructions shown storedin the memory resources (504) include a consumable product recognizer(506), an authentication session initiator (508), a digital signatureverifier (512), a signed data confirmer (514), a communicator (516), anidentifier matcher (520), an authenticator (522), and an authenticationdenier (524). The data structures shown stored in the memory resources(504) include a key (510) and identifier list (518).

The memory resources (504) include a computer readable storage mediumthat contains computer readable program code to cause tasks to beexecuted by the processing resources (502). The computer readablestorage medium may be tangible and/or non-transitory storage medium. Thecomputer readable storage medium may be any appropriate storage mediumthat is not a transmission storage medium. A non-exhaustive list ofcomputer readable storage medium types includes non-volatile memory,volatile memory, random access memory, memristor based memory, writeonly memory, flash memory, electrically erasable programmable read onlymemory, magnetic storage media, other types of memory, or combinationsthereof.

The consumable product recognizer (506) represents programmedinstructions that, when executed, cause the processing resources (502)to recognize that a consumable product is in a condition to beauthenticated. For example, the device may recognize that the consumableproduct is in a condition to be authenticated if the consumable productis communicating with the device, the consumable product has sent arequest for authentication, the consumable product is secured to thedevice, another condition, or combinations thereof. The authenticationsession initiator (508) represents programmed instructions that, whenexecuted, cause the processing resources (502) to initiate anauthentication session between the device and the consumable product.

The digital signature verifier (512) represents programmed instructionsthat, when executed, cause the processing resources (502) to verify adigital signature stored in the memory of the consumable product withthe key (510). The signed data confirmer (514) represents programmedinstructions that, when executed, cause the processing resources (502)to confirm that the signed data appears to be genuine. If the signeddata confirmer (514) cannot make such a confirmation, authentication isdenied.

The communicator (516) represents programmed instructions that, whenexecuted, cause the processing resources (502) to communicate with aremote listing engine for a list of non-authenticated identifiers thatare stored in a remote location. The communicator (516) causes the list,or at least a portion of the list, to be downloaded to the device. Thedownloaded list, or portion of the list, populates the identifier list(518) with the non-authenticated identifiers.

The identifier matcher (520) represents programmed instructions that,when executed, cause the processing resources (502) to match anidentifier found in the signed data with an identifier in the identifierlist (518). If the identifier matcher (516) cannot match the identifierwith one from the list, the consumable product is authenticated.

The authenticator (522) represents programmed instructions that, whenexecuted, cause the processing resources (502) to authenticate theconsumable product in response to determining that the digital signatureis genuine and that its associated identifier does not match anidentifier in the identifier list (518). The authentication denier (526)represents programmed instructions that, when executed, cause theprocessing resources (502) to deny authentication if it is determinedthat the consumable product's identifier matches an identifier from thelist of non-authenticated identifiers.

Further, the memory resources (504) may be part of an installationpackage. In response to installing the installation package, theprogrammed instructions of the memory resources (504) may be downloadedfrom the installation package's source, such as a portable medium, aserver, a remote network location, another location, or combinationsthereof. Portable memory media that are compatible with the principlesdescribed herein include DVDs, CDs, flash memory, portable disks,magnetic disks, optical disks, other forms of portable memory, orcombinations thereof. In other examples, the program instructions arealready installed. Here, the memory resources can include integratedmemory such as a hard drive, a solid state hard drive, or the like.

In some examples, the processing resources (502) and the memoryresources (504) are located within the same physical component, such asa server, or a network component. The memory resources (504) may be partof the physical component's main memory, caches, registers, non-volatilememory, or elsewhere in the physical component's memory hierarchy.Alternatively, the memory resources (504) may be in communication withthe processing resources (502) over a network. Further, the datastructures, such as the libraries may be accessed from a remote locationover a network connection while the programmed instructions are locatedlocally. Thus, the determining system (500) may be implemented on a userdevice, on a server, on a collection of servers, or combinationsthereof.

The determining system (500) of FIG. 5 may be part of a general purposecomputer. However, in alternative examples, the determining system (500)is part of an application specific integrated circuit.

While the examples above have been described with reference to specificmechanisms for verifying a digital signature, any appropriate mechanismfor verifying a digital signature may be used in accordance with theprinciples described herein. Further, while the examples above have beendescribed with reference to specific mechanisms for determining anidentifier of a consumable product, any appropriate mechanism fordetermining an identifier of a consumable product may be used inaccordance with the principles described herein.

Also, while the examples above have been described with reference tospecific mechanisms for matching the identifiers of the currentconsumable product with the list of non-authenticated identifiers, anyappropriate mechanism for matching identifiers may be used in accordancewith the principles described herein. Additionally, while the examplesabove have been described with reference to specific mechanisms fordetermining which portions of the list to download to the device, anyappropriate mechanism for determining which portions of the list todownload may be used in accordance with the principles described herein.Further, the list, or the portions thereof, may be downloaded to thedevice or to another device associated with the device. For example, thelist may be downloaded to a computer that is networked to the printer.In such examples, the computer may have additional memory to dedicate tostoring the list, and accordingly, the computer may store a largerportion of the list of non-authenticated identifiers.

The host device may include specific measures to protect the hostdevice's list from tampering or deletion. For example, the host devicemay include a policy of updating the list on a periodic basis to ensurethat the list is accurate. While the above examples have been describedwith reference to mechanisms for protecting the non-authentic identifierlist stored locally in the host device, any appropriate mechanism forprotecting the local list may be implemented according to the principlesdescribed herein.

The preceding description has been presented only to illustrate anddescribe examples of the principles described. This description is notintended to be exhaustive or to limit these principles to any preciseform disclosed. Many modifications and variations are possible in lightof the above teaching.

What is claimed is:
 1. A method of determining an authenticity of aconsumable product, comprising: communicating with a listing engine thatcontains a list of identifiers for consumable product classified asnon-authentic; installing said consumable product in said host devicewhere said consumable product stores an identifier in memory; anddetermining whether said consumable product identifier matches one ofsaid identifiers classified as non-authentic.
 2. The method of claim 1,wherein said identifiers classified as non-authentic are associated withat least one of a geography of occurrence, and a frequency of failedauthentication.
 3. The method of claim 2, further comprising verifyingonly a portion of said list based on at least one of a geography of saidhost device, and said frequency of failed authentication.
 4. The methodof claim 1, further comprising denying an authentication request forsaid consumable product during an authentication session based on saididentifier of said consumable product being included in said list. 5.The method of claim 4, comprising preventing usage in response todenying said authentication.
 6. The method of claim 1, furthercomprising downloading a portion of said list to said host device basedon available or allocated memory in said host device.
 7. The method ofclaim 1, wherein said device is a printer and said consumable product isa print cartridge.
 8. A system of determining an authenticity of aconsumable product, comprising: a storing engine to store an identifierin a memory of a consumable product; a recognizing engine to recognizethat said consumable product is connected to a device; and acommunicating engine to communicate with a listing engine that containsa list of identifiers for a consumable product classified asnon-authentic.
 9. The system of claim 8, further comprising a preventionengine to prevent said usage of said consumable product if saidconsumable product matches one of said identifiers.
 10. The system ofclaim 8, further comprising an authentication engine to initiate anauthentication session between said device and said consumable product.11. The system of claim 10, further comprising a denying engine to denyan authentication request from said consumable product during saidauthentication session based on an identifier of said consumable productbeing included in said list.
 12. The system of claim 8, furthercomprising a downloading engine to download at least a portion of saididentifiers on said list.
 13. The system of claim 8, wherein said deviceis a printer and said consumable product is a print cartridge.
 14. Anon-transitory computer readable storage medium comprising computerreadable instructions to determine if a consumable product is authentic,that, when executed, cause a processor to: recognize that a consumableproduct is connected to a device; communicate with a listing engine thatcontains a list of identifiers for a consumable product classified asnon-authentic; and initiate an authentication session between saiddevice and said consumable product.
 15. The computer program product ofclaim 14, further comprising program instructions that, when executed,cause a processor to deny an authentication request from said consumableproduct during said authentication session based on an identifier ofsaid consumable product being included in said list.